Separated
from the Eastern Hill (the Temple Mount and the City of David) by the
Kidron Valley, the Mt. of Olives has always been an important feature
in Jerusalem's landscape. From the 3rd millennium B.C. until
the present, this 2900-foot hill has served as one of the main burial
grounds for the city. The two-mile long ridge has three
summits each of which has a tower built on it.

Dome
of the Ascension

The
Church of the Holy Ascension was taken by Saladin in 1187 and converted
into a mosque and remains such today. It contains what is
traditionally the last footprint of Jesus on earth before he ascended
into heaven.

Two
other places are claimed to be the location of the ascension.
Constantine's mother Helena built a church under the modern Paternoster
Church to commemorate this event. A much later tradition
connects the Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension to Christ's
return into heaven.

Scripture
indicates that the Jesus ascended into heaven in the vicinity of
Bethany. This village is down the east slope of the Mt. of
Olives about 1.5 miles (2.2 km). In this case, none of the
traditional locations for the ascension are correct.

Garden
of Gethsemane

Early Christian pilgrims located the Garden
of Gethsemane at the bottom of the slope of the Mount of Olives opposite the Temple Mount.
Byzantine, Crusader and a modern church were built successively on the
site where it is believed that Jesus prayed to the Father hours before
his crucifixion. The modern Church of All Nations has a
beautiful mosaic on its facade.

Olives
Trees in Gethsemane

Adjacent
to the Church of All Nations is an ancient olive garden.
Olive trees do not have rings and so their age can not be precisely
determined, but scholars estimate their age to anywhere between one and
two thousand years old. It is unlikely that these trees were
here in the time of Christ because of the report that the Romans cut
down all the trees in the area in their siege of Jerusalem in AD 70.

Church
of Mary Magdalene

This
Russian Orthodox church was built in honor of the czar's mother in 1888
and the mosaic inside depicts the legend of Mary Magdalene presenting
an egg to the Emperor Tiberius. The egg allegedly turned red
when she handed it to him, symbolic of Jesus' blood. Approximately 30 nuns
from all over the world live in the convent here today.

Dominus
Flevit Church

Built
in 1955 to commemorate the Lord's weeping over Jerusalem, Dominus
Flevit features a beautiful view of the city through its distinct
chapel window. Excavations during construction of the church
uncovered a number of ossuaries (bone boxes) from the time of Jesus
with numerous inscriptions.

Related Websites

Mount of Olives
(Biblewalks.com) Describes many structures, all over the city, that
you can see from the Mount of Olives.
Includes background information on many of these
sites.

Mount
of Olives (Christian Travel Study Program)
Highlights the biblical importance Jerusalem's eastern hills, also
briefly describes the many holy sites dedicated to events in Jesus'
life and ministry. Features several good pictures.

Mount
of Olives (WebBible Encyclopedia,
ChristianAnswers.Net) Interests the reader with both
physically and biblically descriptive facts, including internal links
to related topics.

The
Mount Of Olives (Daily Bible Study)
General information about the area with links to many topics related to
historical geography, biblical characters, biblical manners
and customs, other biblical events, and the life of Christ.